Online Rental Service TripVillas Eyes U.S. Expansion

Now, more than ever, folks all over the world are booking their vacations online. From all-inclusive packages at a tropical resort to week-long stays in a mountain cabin to weekend getaway trips to a nearby city, sites such as Airbnb, HomeAway, Expedia, Travelocity, and others have made it easy to browse available listings, compare prices, and make reservations. Thanks to a hefty half a million dollar investment, another competitor is about to make waves in the marketplace.

TripVillas, a Singapore-based rental company that lists about 50,000 holiday homes across Asia and Europe, recently scored $500,000 in funding from Blume Ventures, Neoteny Labs, MENA Venture Investments and other angel investors. Founded in 2010, the company received its first funding round of $1 million in March of 2012.

According to an article at Tnooz, the online rental company has completed its support infrastructure which they say separates themselves from similar services in the market. The company plans to use this latest round of funding to “strengthen customer service and develop a mobile channel” in the next quarter.

TripVillas and U.S.-based HomeAway entered into a partnership deal in May 2013 that gives HomeAway access to TripVilla’s Asia Pacific holiday rental homes in destinations such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The company has also entered into agreements with several of the world’s largest OTAs and travel demand websites and plans to expand its service into the United States market by mid-2014.

Last year, TripVillas “generated close to $250 million in qualified leads for its property owners and served nearly 500,000 travelers.”